The Distraction #2
“They said they had contingencies. Steel is too strong to die. Remember—I lived with his family. He got out of some crazy shit then, and he knows Guillermo and how his soldiers operate.” She tugged on his arm.
“We need to go. They told us not to stick around. The foot soldiers who survived will be scrambling for a bit, more concerned about their friends. Guillermo’s men have whisked him to safety, but he’ll be back quickly to survey the damage.
It won’t take them too long to discover our bodies aren’t among the wreckage. Come on!”
Together, they ran in the opposite direction and exited the wharf.
By the time they traveled several streets away, people rushed to the port, and sirens wailed in the distance. Together, they huddled out of sight to catch their breath. “We can’t run all the way to the gap. It’s over thirty miles,” he said.
“We need a vehicle. Something unobtrusive.” Her eyes scanned the nearby area. “There.”
She pointed to a pickup truck. Rusted, dented, and a mixture of blue and red panels the owner had used to replace damaged ones. Hopefully, it would get them where they needed to be.
“You know how to hot-wire a vehicle, I’m assuming.”
“Seen it in a movie,” she told him. “Probably won’t have to though. Most of the people down here leave their keys in their vehicles.”
“You okay to drive? I can pull up Midas on my tablet if I can pick up a signal somewhere. Has to be WiFi here. Let him know what’s going on. Insurance for the trackers.”
“Good idea. Let’s go.”
Once again, they took off running. When they reached the vehicle, sure enough, the keys were in the ignition. He threw himself into the passenger seat, and Glennon was already pulling out onto the road before he had the door closed.
He pulled his tablet out of his backpack. Midas picked up the call. “Hey. My system just informed me that my two guys are in one direction and that one of our surface trackers is in another direction. What’s going on?”
Thank God. He knew both men were clearly able to take care of themselves, but it was a relief to have confirmation it was true. “We ran into some trouble in the port and were forced to separate. Water access is cut off, so Glennon and I are headed to the Darién Gap to try to lose Guillermo.”
“All right. The Dynamic Duo should check in with me within two hours. If I don’t hear from them, my boss, Waters, and another team member will head your way.
In the meantime, I’ll get the crazy cousins, as Cruz calls them, on the move to Cancún.
Keep heading in that direction as best you can.
With any luck, Demon and Steel will catch up before you make the edge.
They’ll have an alternative exit plan if that happens.
You need help getting where you’re going? ” he asked.
“No,” Glennon replied. “It’s a bit of a risk, but I’m going to head to Necoclí.
Since it’s a farther drive than the most popular entry point, he may not expect that.
It’s more dangerous, but I think we can fly under the radar longer that way.
My thought was to just enter straight into the jungle rather than catch the boat.
Guides won’t hesitate to sell us out to anyone asking, and being American, we’ll stand out enough as it is.
Even if people see us briefly in the camp buying supplies, it will be easier to just fade into the wild. ”
“Good plan,” he replied. “I won’t have any contacts to help you out there. You have enough cash?”
“I do,” Triumph said. “I tried to come prepared.”
“Expect astronomical prices, especially since you’re American.
Shopkeepers will sell you out as well. It’s bad enough when they cheat their own people, but they’re not the friendliest to us down there.
Remember—keep moving. Keep human contact to an absolute minimum.
Lots of drug runners down there in the wild, and they don’t care who stumbles across them.
They’ll do you for their own amusement, no influence needed from Guillermo. Good luck.”
The screen went dark, and a heavy silence settled in the truck’s cab. He looked at Glennon and saw the clenched jaw, the tight fists around the wheel, and her hypervigilant survey of the mirrors whenever possible.
He placed a hand on her thigh. “I know it’s difficult, but you need to ease down. You’re no good to us, especially yourself, if you’re wound up tighter than a rubber-band ball.”
“This is our last option, Triumph.”
“It’s our only option right now,” he emphasized. “The guys will find us. And if for some reason they don’t, we’ll make it through the gap into Panama. There we have a whole new set of options.”
“I wish I had your confidence,” she confessed.
“I refuse to believe you can’t make it through this when you’ve made it through much worse.”
“I was living in luxury, not traversing the jungle. This isn’t exactly my area of expertise.”
“No. But if you’d been forced to go this route on your own, would you give up?”
She shook her head. “It’s not in my nature to lie down without a fight.”
“See? If anything, I’m holding you back. My presence here has not exactly been a huge contribution.”
She spared him a quick glance before turning her attention back to the mirrors and the road in front of them. “What the fuck? How can you say that?”
“Midas has done most of the tech. Demon and Steel have operator and medical training. They’re the ones who took care of any problems and helped you heal. I’m just along for the ride.”